Oxygenate: meaning, definitions and examples

Use in biological or medical contexts where adding oxygen to blood or tissues is required.

• The process is designed to oxygenate the blood of patients during surgery.
• Athletes sometimes use hyperbaric chambers to help oxygenate their muscles.

Commonly used in gardening and soil management to describe the process of adding air to the soil. Also used in reference to adding air to water or other liquids.

• It's important to aerate your lawn in the springtime.
• The fish tank requires an air pump to aerate the water.

Used in chemistry and related fields to describe a reaction that involves the transfer of electrons, often leading to the addition of oxygen or the loss of hydrogen. It can have a negative connotation when describing metal rusting.

• When iron is exposed to moisture, it begins to oxidize and form rust.
• The laboratory experiment sought to oxidize the metal sample under controlled conditions.

Often used in general contexts to denote the process of improving something by adding a desirable element, not exclusively related to oxygen.

• They decided to enrich the soil with compost.
• The documentary was created to enrich the viewers' understanding of the natural world.

Used in medical or scientific discussions to describe the process of adding oxygen to the blood or tissues.

• Doctors used an oxygen machine to oxygenate the patient's blood.
• The aquatic environment must be properly oxygenated for fish to survive.